the story of Darth Abyssius- chapter II
by SWTORfan195
Summary: The journey a young Naver Brugus takes to find the sith master


CHAPTER II

THE SEARCH FOR THE "ENLIGHTENED ONE"

After examining the contents of an ancient holocron by Darth Ramage, the Jedi Council has confiscated the artifact and locked it away from public reach. Despite Brugus' repeated petitions to get the council to release the artifact to further knowledge, the council ignores his requests.

Brugus knows the only one who can help him better understand the force itself is Darth Ramage. He collects his belongings, and sets course for the allegedly abandoned planet of Korriban, where he believes he will find clues about Ramage's whereabouts.

After many months of searching, his travels ultimately lead him to the mystical planet of Voss, where he believes he will gain ultimate enlightenment.

Brugus looks back one last time on the jedi temple. He knows his old life is over. He must find Darth Ramage, or die trying. He heads to the Coruscant space station and buys a luxurious starship. He takes all of his belongings and enters in coordinates of where he believes Korriban to be. His only weapon is a blaster attached to his waist and a small vibroknife in his pocket.

After wandering in space for a few days. Brugus notices a red spec in the distance. He engages his thrusters and flies towards the object. He sees it is a planet of sorts. As he heads through the atmosphere he has a flash again, and feels something pulling him there. He lands in what looks like a desert. As soon as he exits his ship, he is struck by how quiet the planet is. He doesnt hear any animals. He momentarily questions if he has the right planet, but his intuition knew for certain. After walking for a few hours. He stumbles upon a rock. He pulls out his blaster and shoots the rock a few times. He unearths what looks like an old tablet. He looks at it and sees that it is badly cracked. He takes it back to the ship and uses the onboard computers to translate the text. The text came out to say "the primitive blade was his greatest weapon and his downfall. Find the blade of the ancient one buried in time."

Brugus became frustrated and threw the tablet outside the door. He saw the tablet shatter, and went to sleep.

The next day proved to be a waste. Brugus wandered the desert with no sign of a blade, or a flash.

Brugus decides to fly around the planet. For the next several days. He finds nothing. Then one week after finding the tablet, he gets a flash again. Only this time it feels like an ominous prescence is watching him. He lands, and draws out his vibroknife. He hears faint whispers and trips over a rock. He notices this rock looks like a boulder. He scratches away at the sand and sees the boulder is hollow. He is overcome with maddening terror. Something inside him pushes him down. He finds various tunnels at the bottom and goes exploring. After hours of charting the tunnels, he stumbles upon a sealed room. He shoots at the door. It doesnt even budge. He tries to slide his knife along the side. The knife gets stuck. He is running out of water, but knows this door is crucial. He laughs and decides to try to meditate the door open. At that moment, he is overcome with terror and falls to the floor. He sees a light blue figure off in the distance. He yells down "WHO'S THERE?" ARE YOU DARTH RAMAGE." The figures gaze pierces Brugus, even from a distance. He only hears the echo of his own voice. The figure disappears. At that moment, the door to the mysterious room opens. The room is fairly small. He sees a statue of a hand holding a red pyramid-shaped holocron. Brugus approaches it and the figure appears again. He spoke "many have entered this tomb child. Many have died due to their ignorance. What is your purpose?"

Brugus proclaimed "Im seeking a sith named Ramage. I was exiled from the republic after finding his holocron." The figure stood there and said "you can call me the last emperor." Ive watched galactic events after my improbable demise."

Brugus inquired: "you must be a sith too. Do you know Ramage?"

The figure replied "Ive known every sith and jedi since Marko Ragnos. Ramage is a member of a recent organization known as the Banite Sith. If you are here, it must mean you wish to learn the dark arts."

Brugus looked down for a minute and said "i lost everything. Learning the force seems to be my true calling."

The figure replied "In order to become sith, you must prove yourself. Turn your raw emotions into power. You must use your hatred for the republic to grow stronger."

Brugus replied "why dont the jedi do that? I thought they knew all aspects of the force. But thats pointless. I barely know anything about the force, let alone how to apply it in combat."

The figure laughed and said "remember this: peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength, through strength, power. Through power, victory. Through victory, my chains are broken, the force will set me free.

This is the sith code. Use your will, fueled by emotions to remove my holocron."

Brugus was confused, but nonetheless positioned himself. He remembered the betrayal he felt at the jedi temple. All of his life seemed pointless up until now. The room shook, but Brugus focused his entire being on lifting the holocron.

The holocron was dislodged and flew to the ground.

The figure looked up and said "now you must learn to harness your feelings. Once you master that, no jedi will be your equal, not even the Barsen'thor."

Brugus was shocked and asked "how did you know about that if you are just some kind of ghost? And if you are so strong, how did you die?

The figure laughed and said "I achieved ultimate victory, and one day, I will eradicate reality itself. I will be reincarnated as Darth Omegus, the harbinger of ruin. Your life is trivial, so I have no trouble sharing my knowledge. You must head to the planets Malachor V, Lehon, and finally Voss, and in that order to find yourself and your master".

The figure disappeared, and the holocron turned to dust.

Brugus was unnerved by the apparition's words, but he dismissed this as idle ramblings of the dead.

That night, he turned off his auto-pilot and began using his senses to search for Malachor V.

Brugus eventually approached a system of planets outside of known space. He knew unknown regions were the abode of the exiled ones. The sith code echoed in his mind. He quickly headed down to the planet he felt was Malachor V.

After landing, he realized he had only half a tank of fuel remaining, and there were two planets he had to travel to besides Malachor.

He touched down near a small lake. Instead of venturing blind, he began to channel his emotions. The Twi'lek noticed the lake behind him started to shake, despite lack of wind. He tried to create a small wave, but he only made erratic splashes. He decided he should focus on finding some clue that will lead him to Lehon. In the distance he saw a group of settlers around a fire.

He approached them and asked "does anyone hear speak basic? I need some help in completing my mission." The group consisted of a Jawa, a rusty astromech droid and an old Chiss. The Chiss said "I speak basic, but there is nothing of value on this planet. We only have enough to survive."

Brugus sat down and said "Im looking for a sith lord named Darth Ramage. I am to become his apprentice."

The Chiss, looking surprised, said "my great-grandfather used to tell me stories about how he met a Sith once. I assumed either the Sith were fake, or he over exaggerated. The Sith are long extinct."

Brugus says "Im about to prove just how wrong you are."

The three looked at him in unison. Brugus waved his hand and the fire blew out.

The Chiss said "that is a coincidence. Its not like you can move boulders with your mind."

Brugus was angered by the Chiss' lack of trust. He telekinetically threw a stick into the ground. He then lifted the astromech droid and dropped him to the ground.

The three looked at him. The Chiss said "you must be some kind of prophet. Im Yanus Tuno. This astromech is T5-04. This jawa we call Astro." He is the only known jawa to venture outside of known space. I can translate what they say." Brugus nodded.

The next day Brugus woke up early and searched for a sign. He received another flash, this time of an ancient blade, though the sensation was weak. He felt an unknown entity must be guiding him to the blade, but it wasn't on this planet. He hurried back to the ship and decided to venture out. He came across old ruins, with another holocron protruding from the ground. He almost crashed landing the ship. As he activated the holocron, a young woman appeared. She began to speak.

"Greetings traveler. I am Meetra Surik, Jedi exile of the Mandalorian wars. I made this holocron so that Jedi of the future will gain insight into my struggle with the sith triumvirate, and how I saved the galaxy.

After being exiled and shut off from the force, I disappeared for a while. I was unable to feel the dark prescence growing in the galaxy, despite Revan's redemption and the defeat of Darth Malak. I eventually was re-trained by the former master of two deadly sith lords. In fact, these two were not quite Sith. They were darkness itself. My new master kreia conveniently hid her past from me as we travelled the galaxy. I eventually had to confront Darth Sion, the lord of pain. He was the mastermind behind the destruction of the Jedi order. He held his body together through his physical pain. His anguish fueled his hatred, and he became an instrument of destruction. Defeating him was challenging."

The holocron temporarily paused and then resumed.

"Darth Nihlius was known as the lord of hunger. He fed off life itself. I knew if I didn't stop him, he would kill the remaining Jedi, and would eventually the Sith. I was only able to defeat him because I was immune to his abominable technique. I also bested my master Kreia later on this very planet. She was a good friend, and I wish I could have prevented her from going down the dark path."

The holocron paused once more.

"I have found Revan. He told me that the Sith I faced were not the only ones. There was an empire, and an emperor of legendary strength. Revan believed he may be the champion to defeat this emperor. I believe with our combined power, we can save the Jedi and allow them to rebuild. If I don't survive, this will be my last recording. If you want to uncover Revan's past, head to Lehon. I believe the force is strongest on that planet. Remember traveler, the force will be with you, always."

Brugus carried the holocron back to his ship. He told his new friends "I am heading for the ancient planet of Lehon. If you want to join me, now is the time. If not, may the force bring us together, someday."

The three looked at each other and nodded.

Tuno bowed and said "meeting you was our destiny. We will pledge ourselves to helping you find Ramage." The four walked on board the vessel and departed from Malachor.

Aboard the ship, Tuno asked Brugus "so what exactly does the cube do?"

Brugus replied "that device is called a holocron. I have two in my possession. They are recordings of force users who lived centuries ago. Take it and listen if you'd like."

Tuno bowed and said "Thank you Naver, I will take good care of it."

Tuno walked down the corridor to the main room on the ship and started listening.

A few hours later, Brugus feels himself nodding off. He tries to stay awake but cant. T6 approaches him and takes over the controls.

Several hours later, Brugus wakes up and notices the ship has ventured into a void of space. Just then Astro comes into the cockpit and starts hitting T6. Brugus yells "ENOUGH!" He points at them and says "bring me Tuno, now."

Tuno, hearing the commotion, runs to Brugus."What's the matter boss?"

Brugus angrily answers "we are even farther beyond the unknown regions. The nearest planet is at least 40,000 parsecs away from us. If we stay on this course, we may be the first people to explore beyond the galaxy."

Tuno paused and said "maybe someday, we will chart this territory, although today is not that day. I will be your co-pilot."

Brugus looked at him and said "Someday, civilization will travel beyond this galaxy and the next. We will expand. When I become Sith, I will spread my knowledge to the far corners of space."

After several more hours. Brugus and Tuno find an isolated planet. Tuno asked "isn't that the fabled 'Unknown Planet of the Star Forge?"

Brugus replied "I can feel a strong presence of the force. Lehon must be where the Rakata once lived. This is our second to last stop. We head to familiar territory after this."

The ship lands on the pristine beaches of Lehon. Brugus says "I need Astro and T6 to stay on the ship to keep watch. Tuno, you are coming with me."

Tuno translates Brugus' request to Astro and T6. The ship door opens, and they are greeted with a gentle breeze.

Brugus says "I don't think anyone lives here, but we must bring weapons just in case." The two walk around for an hour and eventually stumble upon some ruins.

Brugus says "These must be Rakatan ruins. Strange there are no skeletons here. I see a few vibroblades around the corner, let's go grab them."

After grabbing two vibroblades, the two head north. They look around and notice nothing aside from the beaches. They occasionally stumble upon some uninteresting stones and ancient weapons. Tuno, getting bored asks "so how did these Rakata die out?"

Brugus kept walking and answered "from what I learned, they were a highly evolved civilization, older than we can imagine. No one knows how or why they disappeared without a trace. From what I learned from reading historical jedi texts, they were last seen as a civilization about 3900 years ago."

Tuno paused in his tracks. He looked up and saw what looked like a large pillar.

Brugus also paused and looked up.  
"This can't be the temple of the ancients. Many Jedi and Sith have travelled and fought there. I was sure that is where we had to go!"

Tuno sarcastically replied "don't tease me, you ALWAYS know where you are going."

Brugus looked at Tuno, and made no attempt to hide his annoyance. He replied "maybe I should bring T6 next time, and make sure to mute all sarcasm."

Just then a mysterious alien came out from behind the pillar. He started speaking in an unknown language. Brugus whispered to Tuno "what's he saying?" Tuno whispered back "I have never heard this tongue before."

The alien said "ah, you must be from the republic. We have been waiting for you."

Brugus, still annoyed asked "are you a Rakata, why would you expect us to know your language?"

The alien spoke "Yes, I am one of the last Rakata. Our story however is a secret. I will only say that if you know the ways of the force, you will not be welcome here."

Brugus and Tuno looked at each other. Brugus reluctantly said "actually, I am seeking a master of the dark side. I was exiled from the republic, discovered I was force sensitive, and began a journey."

The Rakata said "It is my mission to protect what is left of our people. We were once a great civilization, some of us ventured beyond the known galaxy. but I have said enough. I will kill you and protect my planet."

The Rakata drew his vibroblade and kicked an unprepared Tuno to the ground. Brugus lifted his blade and attempted a quick vertical strike. The Rakata blocked and parried Brugus' attack. Brugus was filled with fear. He thought he and his friend would die. Had he come all this way to be killed an forgotten on a desolate planet? He became filled with rage and used the force to pull his opponent closer to him. He quickly impaled the Rakata through the stomach and kicked him to the ground. Tuno got up and said "you just saved our life. I think whatever needed to be done, is now done. Let's go find your master."

Brugus looked one last time at the Rakata, then turned around and started walking back to his ship.

As soon as the two arrived, they noticed Astro and T6 toying with various ship commands. As soon as they saw Brugus, they stopped and hid in their respective rooms. Brugus announced "crew, the next planet is our last stop. I will find Darth Ramage there. I would like to count on your continued support, but if you want to go separate ways when we land on Voss, that is fine by me."

Tuno quickly replied "Following you has been an interesting trip, for the time being, we will continue as your crew."

With that comment, Brugus fires up the engine and sets a course for Voss.

The ride is smooth, and the crew arrives sooner than expected. All 4 of them step onto the surface of Voss and are greeted by one of the natives.

"Welcome to Voss, we rarely get visitors these days from the Republic."

Brugus said "do you know anyone by the name of Ramage? I have been searching for him for quite some time. I must find him."

The Voss looked at him and said "yes, he has been living here quietly for many years. I will upload coordinates to your Astromech droid here so you may find him."

Brugus replies "I appreciate it."

The four follow the coordinates on foot for the better part of the day. Eventually they stop and see a large gate, held together by a mysterious energy field. A voice starts speaking and says "Who's there, I told the Voss not to disturb me during today with anything inconsequential."

Brugus became anxious. He composed himself and said "I am Naver Brugus, I found a holocron left behind by Darth Ramage. I must find him."

There was a tense pause. The gate opened and a person wearing a black robe appeared. He said "I am Darth Ramage, heir to Darth Bane. I sensed your presence when you landed on Voss. I am unaware of the trials you've faced coming to me. I know through my visions you my final apprentice will begin his trials on Korriban, and complete them on Voss. You are even the same as you were in my vision: a tall green-skin Twi'lek."

Brugus, unsure of what to do stood there for a second before saying "I have learned much of galactic history and Sith philosophy. I know how to use the dark side, but I have little control."

Ramage said "why did you decide to seek me out after finding the holocron? No one from the republic bothers to come to Voss, let alone any Jedi."

Brugus looked at his crew, realizing he hadn't told them the full story of how he was exiled.

Brugus said to Ramage "I was the republic's top scientist, working to better understand where the Jedi got their force sensitivity from. I was best friends with the Barsen'thor, and knew many Jedi well. I found your holocron, but the Jedi took it, cancelled my research. It was at that point I knew I had to seek you out."

Ramage, in a reassuring tone said "I will never hide anything from you. I have my own ambitious projects to discuss with you. You will learn the ways of the dark side. You cannot comprehend how lucky you are. You are one of an unbelievably small number of beings chosen to be Sith. We are specially chosen by the force to secretly undermine the Jedi. From this day forward, you will be my apprentice, and together, we will cripple the republic and obliterate the Jedi forever."

Brugus bowed and said "I am honored my lord, I can't wait to get started."

Ramage said "come, your crew as well, there is much to be done."


End file.
